Monthly Archives: July 2015

While scrolling through Academy Florist’s Instagram account, it’s easy to be in awe of their breathtaking arrangements that are overflowing with beautiful flowers and luscious greens.

Academy Florist has been a popular choice in Winnipeg for over 30 years. They manage to stay on-top by their innovative ideas when creating their stunning arrangements.

“I believe that usually whatever everyone else is doing, I do the opposite,” says Irene Seaman, owner of Academy Florist. “When everyone else catches on, I try to go onto something else. That’s been my motto all these years.”

Irene Seaman is the owner of Academy Florists and has been surrounded by flowers her entire life. Growing up, her great grandfather and father both had their very own greenhouses.

“We used to do floral arrangements and weddings out of our greenhouse and I said, ‘okay dad, if I’m going to be working and doing flowers we need to open a shop,’” says Seaman.

Because she is surrounded by flowers all day, Seaman says it is easy to be happy and says it’s one of the perks of her job.

“It’s a proven fact that flowers do affect a person’s mood, so most of my girls are always happy,” says Seaman. “If they aren’t doing well, we put their face in front of the flowers and say here make this arrangement colourful and beautiful.”

Without a doubt Irene and the girls at Academy Florist work hard and put countless hours in to make every event a success, which is why the EBE team loves working with them. We can count on them to fulfill our expectations and even go above and beyond.

We asked Irene some questions and we are sharing her answers and tips with you!

What are some of the current trends?Right now the garden style is in and the more natural look is in. Whereas five years ago it was hardly any greenery and now there’s lots of greenery. Garlands are in right now, which weren’t in for the longest time. In the 70s every head table had a garland.

How many flowers do you usually go through per day?We go through thousands of flowers. Just roses alone I think we go through at least 3,0o0

What is something people may not know that goes into the process of arranging flowers?People think it’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot more work than anyone would ever think. First of all it’s a lot of work trying to get in the right amount of flowers, in the right condition. There are not a lot of flowers that are grown in Manitoba, so once they’re here, you have to process them, cut them, trim the leaves, you have to make sure the flowers are nice, and you have to treat them so they’ll open up well.

What are some tips you would give someone choosing flowers for an event? (Irene recommends knowing the answers to these questions to help make the most of your first meeting)1. Where’s the event and what kind of event is it. (casual event, fancy affair, country and is it a wedding, anniversary, birthday).
2. How large is it? Is it going to be a lot of people or intimate.
3. What is your colour scheme or what would you like it to be? (What colour are your table clothes/what colour do you lean towards/what is your favorite colour)
4. Do you have a favourite flower?
5. What is your budget?

What is it like working with Events by Emma?What I like about working with Emma is that we can put our ideas together and our talents together and we can come up with something pretty fantastic. Emma often allows us to give our suggestions about the flowers we should use, and that makes a huge difference. We know what’s available and what we can do for that price, so we try our best to make it look very good.

Here are some photos from Irene’s favourite events she’s worked on with us!

Just last month on June 18, Leadership Winnipeg launched the 2015 A Profile of Community Leadership book called “Why Winnipeg?” which asks that exact question to 32 inspiring local leaders.

Inspiring leaders like Devon Clunis, Richard Cloutier, and Chrissy Troy were among the long list who shared their reasons why they choose to live in the beautiful city of Winnipeg.

Events by Emma was able to be a part of this event, at the historic Hotel Fort Garry that
brought
together Leadership Winnipeg Alumni, Community leaders past and present and Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce members.

It is always an honour being surrounded by motivating leaders in our community!
For more information on how to purchase the book, visit The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce website.

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The big day is over and you’re finally newlyweds. First off, we would like to congratulate you on tying the knot.

You’ve gone on your romantic honeymoon, relaxed, but it’s back to reality and routine. It’s now time to make some decisions, but we aren’t talking about what colour the napkins should be or what cake flavour you should have.

Living with a spouse is one of the biggest adjustments you will have to make.

Financial decisions and daily responsibilities need to be made. When making these decisions, it is important not to put them off to avoid all the stress that may come later.

To help you out, we have are giving you the inside scoop of what to expect and give you a few tips that will help make everything a little bit easier.

Moving in together

Choosing a place to move in together can be a long process or you can be lucky and find a place that’s fitting for both of you quickly. Either way, mortgages will have to be paid. First decide if you want to rent for a few years and try to save some money. You may just want to jump into being a homeowner right away.

Before you start looking at houses, make sure to know what you are approved for. This will help you know exactly what types and price ranges of houses to be looking at.

Tip #1: If you are buying a home, you will need at least a 5 per cent of purchase price down payment and to avoid CMHC financing, you need 20 per cent down.

Changing your name

Now that you are married, if you took your husbands name, that means you need to change anything that has your maiden name on it. Think about changing your passport, driver’s license, credit cards, and health cards. This will take a little bit of time, but know that the sooner you get it done, the more official everything becomes.

It’s time to choose the right health insurance plan. The insurance should provide the right coverage in any situation.

One company in the states provides the right plan. Oscar Health Insurance in New York and New Jersey is a great choice that makes it easy to find the care you need. They specialize in providing a plan fit for you after a huge change has been made, just like getting married.

Oscar Health Insurance uses technology and design to make health care simple. All you
need to do is use their app to search your symptoms and you are able to locate a doctor. You can even track your visits, prescriptions, and lab work.

And of course, right here in Manitoba, Manitoba Blue Cross is one of the most popular private health insurance companies along with Great-West Life and CAA.

Tip #3: Download the free Misfit Flash Fitness tracker and sync up your Oscar app to earn up to $240 per year from just being active.

Having the money talk

Hopefully you’ve had the money talk already, but if you haven’t make sure to have it and make a trip down to the bank. Choosing how to look after your finances could be a tough discussion. You can choose to have individual accounts or joint accounts, but there really is no right choice to make. It really is just personal preference. If you have a mortgage, then you will need at least one joint account for payments to come out of.

Tip #4: Establish a budget to determine how the bills will be paid such as utilities, insurance, car insurance, mortgage, house taxes etc. This will help you stay on track.

Choosing who will do each chore

It’s now time to figure out who hates doing which chores and hopefully the other doesn’t mind doing it. Discuss who will walk the dog, do the laundry, take out the garbage and even make meals. If you truly hate doing a certain chore, discuss it with your spouse early and find a resolution before you get stuck doing something you hate.

Work with each other’s schedules. Each day may be different, so it’s important to remember when you are doing what.

Tip #5: Making a chart or putting your chores into your smartphone will help keep you on track. It takes about 21 days for something to become a habit.

Marriage will come with a lot of adjustments, but it’s important to take it day by day. You both are experiencing a lot of change and everyone reacts to change differently. But most importantly, enjoy each other’s company and the new life you both are creating.

Congratulations on your marriage from Events by Emma and Oscar Health Insurance.

The Nellie McClung Foundation is celebrating a monumental time in Canadian history and they want you to be apart of it. Next year marks the 100th anniversary of which women were given the right to vote.

The Centennial Gala hosted by The Nellie McClung Foundation will be held on January 28, 2016 at the RBC Convention Centre. It is an exciting day in history and we are honoured to be apart of the evening.

The elegant evening will include a special presentation of the inaugural Nellie Awards (The Nellies). These awards honour Manitoba women who have followed in Nellie McClung’s footsteps in social justice, women’s, and human rights.

For more information about the event and how to buy tickets, head over to the website.

Events by Emma is pleased to be the Planning & Design Partner for the event.

We can’t wait to see you there!

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About Us

Events by Emma’s fresh approach and innovative thinking have made it one of the most sought-after planning and design companies in Canada. Named one of Canada's Top 5 Planners, with over fifteen years of experience our creative and dedicated team of planners are proven industry leaders that specialize in couture planning, production and design for every occasion.